DIALEGOMAI

Social Media is repleat with slogans and memes that denote a host of ideas and views. But strangely enough, many Christians are posting messages and memes dealing with the idea of Karma.

The big issue is they completely misunderstand what Karma is and why it is contrary to the Christian worldview. Let's look at what many believe Karma is. Many Christians believe Karma is just getting what you deserve. They get some of this idea from a bad reading of Galatians 6. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life"Galatians 6:7-8

Paul is stating that if you live for this life only (that is, in your sins) you will reap judgement. But, if you live according to the Spirit of God (that is, in salvation), you will reap eternal life. No where does is say that if you steal, something will be stolen from you, etc.

But is that Karma? Let's look at a proper definition of Karma.

Karma noun(in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

Karma is what decides how many reincarnated lives one must live in order to achieve Nirvana which is a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism/Hinduism.

This flies completely in the face of the Christian worldview which states "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." Hebrews 9:27-28

If you are a Christian, you cannot believe in Karma or you are living in a contradiction. Karma removes the idea of salvation through faith in Christ alone as someone's fate is determined by their actions. Do good things, get good Karma and end your cycle of death and rebirth early. Do bad things, get Bad Karma and continue the cycle of death and rebirth until you "get it right". Also, the rebirth cycle doesn't mean you are reborn as a human. You could be reborn as a snail or some other living form to learn your lessons.

The Gospel teaches that you are born as a creation of the Living God - created in His image, but that we choose to break His laws (sin). This is the cause of suffering in the world. But Christ came to live a perfect life though tempted in all things. He died a criminal's death on a cross and rose again from the dead, taking the punishment for our sins upon Himself and giving us forgiveness of sin and eternal life through trust in Him alone.

Karma and the Gospel are not the same thing and are, in the final analysis, incompatible.